| CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast |
|
|
|
 |
|
  |
| You're CRAZY if you want to sell unprotected MP3s |
|
 |
|
| posted by Frederick on Sunday May 18 2008 @ 03:20AM PDT |
|
|
|
|
The internet. A wonderful, yet evil place for musicians. If you're
unsigned and talented and are up and coming, then you're all
fired up about selling music online, you can get your music into
digital stores, make money...
As soon as you sign to a major it's the other way round. You
realise that the digital stores are making money but you're not
getting as much as you do of CDs....AND people are
downloading it for free on p2ps and bittorent.
Something I don't get about all these digital companies. If
iTUNES pays out the most money right now, and they sell AAC
files which play in ipods (which nearly everyone has), then why
would anyone need to sell anywhere else, why does cdbaby go
to the trouble of encoding into 5 zillion different formats...It's
such a water tight system with iTUNES, and as soon as you sell
one unprotected MP3 it gets bootlegged and you LOSE profit.
Then one gets copied and as soon as it's out there you won't
make any more money.
We'd all love to believe we are in a world with people
"supporting" independent music, but we're not. We're in an
instant world where people want things NOW and for FREE. The
internet proves this ever human desire to accumulate stuff for
free, stuff they LOVE! They might adore your music, but if they
find it somewhere for free, they'll grab it!
So...The apple itunes thing is working at the moment,
accounting for MOST digital sales, and from what I can see on
here they're very reliable.
CDbaby should have an option that says "Just apple itunes",
because they are the market leader, and if somebody can't find
your album for free, they'll buy it on itunes guaranteed. It's a full
proof system that hasn't failed.
These other companies are quite dubious. CDbaby actually sent
my album to Rhapsody by mistake and I had selected under
"restrictions" for it to be sent "nowhere except apple itunes".
I don't even know how this rhapsody thing works, I just hope
people can't get MP3s that can be bootlegged in a flash.
Conclusion: Have an option of just itunes, and it saves everyone
lots of time!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ok,
Just for fun, here's 3 points I would like to respond with:
1) I'm sure Steve Jobs would agree with you, but then the (digital) musical monopoly would be even more dangerous than it already is.
2) There was no option of allowing music to be sold as DRM or non-DRM when signing up for digital distribution with CDBaby.
3) Look: http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/05/napster-launche.html
Napster will sell our music in non-drm format mp3 quality. We have no say in the matter.
Tsk, tsk...
*BobTunes*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CD's aren't copy protected yet you are still selling those right?
I'm so tired of this. You can't copy protect music. Period. The war is over. I am in the business of selling drinks and t-shirts. Music is just for advertising now. Better evolve or die.
Monty
http://www.dimensionzero.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also of note, the DRM protection on iTunes downloads can be EASILY stripped off and converted to mp3, you can even do it in iTunes. So...not exactly foolproof, sorry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As far as I know you cannot strip of iTune's DRM in iTunes itself. I
know it can be done outside of iTunes but, so far, it's still a fairly
time-consuming process.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
One more thing..
Anyone listen to the last CD Baby DIY Podcast?
Soundscan released numbers for 2007.
400,000 albums were released last year. 80% sold 100 or less.
That means 320,000 albums sold just enough to cover shipping costs of their physical product or the cost to master their album.
Game over. Time to change business plans that don't rely on album sales.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I didn't realize Frederick's musical act is such a household name that he's worried about musical piracy.
I for one hate iPods. I have a Zune instead - no DRM to deal with, and I like the interface. Yep I'm in the minority.
I'm just another one of those CRAZY people who doesn't support having DRM on my MP3s.
Go ahead and limit your sales channels and tell yourself it's a good thing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
i somewhat think it would matter if you were a really top selling artist like britney spears - then you can start counting people who may have given you money..
but from my perspective, being relatively unkown - i give music to p2p freely and the result is i get more people listening that would never have even heard of me otherwise...
how else do you ever hear a new band besides someone lending you a copy? i want stores to use NON-DRM because that's what people want - it's certainly what i want for my money...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| by
on Friday May 23 2008 @ 03:35PM PDT [ reply | parent ] |
|
|
|
|
"I give music on a p2p regularly"
shmuck. you're ripping yourself off
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Music has been about the PERFORMANCE from the beginning of time. Only in the 1900s did people start recording and selling. And even then, the radio was the source of music... which was free. We have been spoiled for a long time. I would LOVE to have kids BUYING my CD, but it's not practical. You need a new business model.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Music has been about the PERFORMANCE from the beginning of
time. Only in the 1900s did people start recording and selling. And
even then, the radio was the source of music... "
Since the technology to record did not exist until then, that's not a
very meaningful statement. The importance of the Beatles was their
recorded music, not their live performances. If not for their,
records, they would have been a footnote. The same goes for many
great bands.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lots of people listen. Not too many buy. Don't quit your day job.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Not too many buy"
Hmm, sounds like you shouldn't quit yours either...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I don't own an iPod and don't plan to. I converted all my purchased CDs to (gasp!) Windows WMA format. I keeep it on a server in my house and pipe the music into all my FM receivers with an $11 dollar FM transmitter I bought from Hong Kong. I have downloaded music I never intend to pay for too. I even might play it on a rare occaisional but all in all I play CDs that are bought and paid for from bands I really like.
I also release my own songs in 96 kbs MP3 format and distribute freely. The more that listen, the more will buy. Sales has always been a numbers game. Knock on 10 doors, get one sale. That's the rule every salesman knows.
If you think trying to control your distribution through these various methods mentioned above from vaious people is the best solution, then you are ignoring what is actually happening out there (you're wearing rose coloured glasses). You should join the Metallica distribution club and go sue some little kid who stole your music. While you're at it, alert the RIAA and get them on your side OR EVEN BETTER, go sign up with a major label.
Just leave your dinosaur behind because I have a couple of kids who just love them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Locks on doors only keep honest people out.
Not that I am pro-"sharing" of music - I'm definitely a firm believer
that people need to pay for what they want to possess - but DRM
is pointless - if you can hear it, you can rip it (via analog) and if it's
got a 'code' then someone will crack it. Blu-Ray was cracked
almost instantly, for instance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This sounds like an old story of whether not to copy your Record onto a KCT and make a copy to your friends... until CD's came out and we were all out of our misery and making 10 times more of what we used to... what would be the next new format when the cd is still pretty damm good? I think we should develop the speakers and headphones to bring up a new media with a better quality, one that couldn't be play as neat inside a computer if you dont have the original media... yeah, we might end up wearing huge headphones again, like, let say a "tri-dimensional surround track" and carrying our tracks in a little water-capsule... wouldn't be that fantastic? we might end up wearing those astronauts helmets to hear a new album at Virgin MegaStore lol, I don't know, I am just writing out loud... one thing I am sure, this is just a transition, if you love this career, you will still do money no matter what, and the Industry will succeed sooner or later, I'm sure... and that goes also to the Movie makers... so, that of "let's move on and focus on another type of business" well.. go ahead... and good luck, I'm here to ride the wave and have some fun while we are at it!! and hope we all learn from it (twice? yet again? yes!) so, next time we keep ahead of technology! and in case a new one comes faster (outside the Music Industry), not to sue them but to join them from the beginning! So, let's keep doing music and enjoy this wonderful times!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
People have to know about your music and want it before they're going to copy it. Concentrate on that first and worry about people stealing a few bucks from you later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I would say that DRM free music gives people more options, which means they'll listen to your music in more ways and generally enjoy it more.
And I know this might not be true for everyone, but I find it tremendously beneficial to offer my music for free. I sell more albums and merch that way, and more people listen to the music that otherwise wouldn't. That's each artist's decision, though, and fans of course shouldn't share anything without consent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I was so intrigued by the title of this thread that I knew it was only a matter of time before I popped in for a look.
I read Frederick's post and scanned through the others.
For the most part, he seems to have a realistic grasp of the situation as it pertains to him but his viewpoint is just one small piece in a very large puzzle.
I am 53, a folk singer for more than 25 years and have played for a living for about 4 of those years. The rest of the time I've held down a full time job and played on weekends.
In my genre I probably rank with the best for live performances. That's not any kind of a brag. There are plenty of Irish/Scottish folk entertainers with the same skills as myself who, when it came time to choosing between careers and families, we chose to stay closer to home and spend the weekends with the kids rather than driving/flying off to God knows where and have subsequently vanished into virtual anonymity.
I have the advantage of looking back at the industry over the years and am absolutely stunned at the advances particularly as it applies to the recording industry.
The reason why you are where you are today is because somewhere in the last 15 years the big wigs in the music industry seriously fumbled the ball.
As late as the seventies and early eighties, records were the only way to go.
Cassette tapes had arrived but PYE, RCA and other recording companies basically owned the Artists, The Records, the Manufacturing Companies, the Copyrights, the Contracts, Tours and Hopes of all who aspired to entertain.
That band who played at your local club dance every Sunday never had a hope of recording even a low budget album with one of those sharks.
In the eighties and nineties, a number of small manufacturers began to spring up in various industrial sites. You could now hire a one man studio, put together an album and get a small run of cassettes made up. That was big.
For the first time, guys like me could play a festival and actually bring some money home.
But here's where things got really interesting and where the technological advances played to our advantage. The music industry seriously overlooked or were entirely unaware of two things.
First of course is the Internet.
Nobody saw that coming. Even in the last 5 years the changes are enormous but here's the real thing that they missed.
The CD Burner.
Simple as it may sound, that one small piece of equipment (which also serves as a rather delicate cup holder) was completely underrated by the music industry and from what I can see, pretty much everyone else.
I know, we've always had the ability to record but not like this. Not even close to this quality.
You now have the ability to record, master, duplicate, print, label and package, promote & even sell a better quality album than any of my old favourites, without ever leaving your swivel chair.
Remember how it used to be that one in ten CD players would not play a home made CD?
It's about one in one hundred now and decreasing daily.
Well, if the music industry had been on the ball, not one home made CD would have been compatible with any manufactured home entertainment or car audio system.
They had that kind of clout but by the time they figured it out, it was too late.
You probably have Hewlett Packard & Bill Gates to thank for your music careers.
Which brings me around to the actual topic of discussion here.
So some of you think that by giving folks a free listen you are somehow losing earnings.
Every play should be paid for?
You pay for every song you hear on the radio?
Every show you watch on T.V.?
Of course not. Some of those who say such things may be a little guilty of exercising their egos or just honestly wish that they could make a little more money but at the end of the day, we are entertainers and like all good entertainers, are pleased to be appreciated.
This snapping up free copies of everything is a generational thing. Somewhere in their late thirties, early forties people grow up and actually want to pay.
Trust me, the fact that some of you can make a few dollars from your music and be heard around the world while you're at work or fast asleep is a far cry from what the generation ahead of you had and like Frederick points out in his post "iTUNES pays out the most money right now" &
"The apple itunes thing is working at the moment". ....Everthing is fluid.
If the big powerful heavies in the music industry could not even recognize change after the fact and have lost their empire because of it, do you really think that you are in any way better prepared anticipate future changes?
Let CD Baby be the judge of what's best for CD Baby clients and let's see where this ride really takes us.
I should know, I used to be in MP3.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When the first Napster trial happened I saw the writing on the wall with the internet and the distribution of music being changed forever. Oddly enough, when CD Baby put my stuff on the web, I was and have still been astonished at how many downloads (and deposits into my checking account) I get regularly, although they are not large sums of money, they are consistent. Many of my customers are buying based on...I have no idea!!! They heard it from a friend, they heard me live somewhere, they saw my website.....the point is, my music is out there getting heard, and I stopped trying to figure out who is stealing it and who is not.
I think of music on the net as a convenience for most people, and many times people who may already have a CD might want to hear a track at the office or somewhere and for 99 cents will go ahead an download it again and again 'cause they can't be bothered getting the CD out of there car, or they left their ipod at home or what ever.....I think of it like the old juke boxes that people fed coins into while they were at a diner, or out at a club...they paid big bucks sometime up to three dollars to hear a song. I think the web functions like one of those old relics now.
When people want to hear something that they like, they will get it and grab it as fast as they can, and for small increments of money, they will pay for it frequently.
So, for every dollar I loose, which ultimately I can never calculate, I will probably make it up in unexpected sales...and that leads me to another word...expectations....when you are dealing with art, you can not have any. The minute you do you will set yourself up for disappointment.
The truth is that a musician can only expect to get the intrinsic gratification of playing and creating music...and financial expectation is unreliable. If you want security, work at the post office, (althought that's even getting unreliable these days with the online USPS.com website)....Oh what to do.......
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Great discussion.
My 2 cents: i write my music for my enjoyment - i have no audience but me in mind - i bring it to my group & if it cuts it with them we perform the song at shows - if it gets attention at shows or we just have fun playing it - it tends to get recorded - if it gets recorded & placed on a CD i ship it to cdbaby - they tske over from there - my music is out there & will do what it does - i couldn't be happier, because it is all about the music - the reason i sit down and compose in the first place.
Peace & Love,
Michael
http://thebandofbrothers.net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As a musician your first priorities should be:)
1 - Exposure
2 - People who like your music
At that point, it will eventually lead to:
3 - Sales
If your music is good enough, people WILL buy it. Of course, whatever constitutes as good music is arbitrary. Either way, if somebody out there is listening and loving your music, that is an accomplishment whether that person paid to acquire it or not.
|
|
|
|
| Post a Comment |
|
| NOTE: If you need a reply you should email CD Baby directly instead of posting here. We don't often read old message board postings, and have no way of replying to them!
|
|
|
|
